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SKYWARN - Severe weather reporting program

What is SKYWARN?

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many
Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather
Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN®
with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000
trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local
communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to
the National Weather Service.

Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for
all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is
to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000
severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across
the United States. These events threatened lives and property.

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information
provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved
satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate
warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.

Amateur radio volunteers generally operate a base station at the local National Weather Service Office during severe weather or other weather disaster emergencies. Through a network of repeaters, volunteers at the local NWS office contact other amateurs -located in communities throughout New York State. Storm information is collected at the base station for rapidly relayed by forecasters to the media, Emergency Management and Law Enforcement agencies, and the public.

Hams operate on emergency power when commercial power is lost so reports can still be received. Reports are received in a timely, efficient manner. Unlike police, fire, and other government emergency response persons, amateur radio operators have no jurisdictional boundaries. Amateur radio spotters are able and willing to perform their service for extended periods. SKYWARN spotters are trained to have a knowledge of severe weather characteristics not only to ensure they are able to recognize these, but also to avoid erroneously reporting non- hazardous conditions. Any amateur radio operator can become a SKYWARN spotter.

Severe Weather Page: http://forecast.weather.gov/hazards/BGM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------***Pass on a Severe Weather Report to the Binghamton N.Y. National Weather Service office:- by e-mail at bgm.stormreport@noaa.gov
- or see complete listings at: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/stormreport

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about this blog:

Managing repeater and NET frequencies was a tough problem for me. So I started to keep my notes on frequencies, NET's and Club and Hamfest information here. Over time we have added all kinds of information of interest to Upstate NY Radio enthusiasts. I will also try to update old posts with confirmations and updates as I get new information .I have a broad range of interests and love to share much of the cool stuff I stumble across.

We will try to post information for Upstate New York from Albany west to Buffalo and from Binghamton north through the 1000 Islands and Adirondacks. You may notice more news from Central and Northern NY (because that's where I live and recreate.....), but we will try to cover as much of the Upstate New York Region as possible.